Because of pressure, water will find its way to the slab or foundation cracks. To avoid this, here are 10 tips you can apply in your basement:

1. For a minimum of five feet, slope away the earth from your house. Then, at certain locations around your house, create drainage swales that will directly catch rainwater.

2. To effectively control rainwater, build rain drainage so the water won’t seep deep into the ground. A good example is building of gutters.

3. Establish a drainage system for the foundation. Make sure that it is done at the bottom part of the footing and not on top if the exterior grade is higher than the interior grade or foundation floor. Use a 4-inch perforated drainpipe and surround it with gravel. Then, use a filter fabric to cover it.

5. To further make the wall effective in preventing absorption of moisture, you also have to make the below-grade portion of the foundation resistant to damp. Do this using capillary action.

6. Unlike metal and concrete, the wood is more susceptible to the absorption of moisture. With this, you should ensure that all untreated materials made of wood are not in direct contact with the soil.

7. The air carries moisture. To have air sealing, install a sill gasket to keep the room dry.

8. To make the sill gasket efficient, add a membrane between the bottom plate and slab of the floor.

9. Create a barrier on crawlspaces for polyethylene vapor diffusion. This is to avoid moisture from seeping into crawlspaces.

10. You should also reduce the wicking of water from the wall. Do this using a protective membrane. You can install the EPDM type to make sure you have an efficient capillary break.